Leading Kurdish Politicians and Journalists Detained in Belgium
It is with deep concern that the EUTCC received the news that the Belgian federal police have detained 25 people for suspected links to the PKK along with ROJ-TV journalists. ROJ-TV represents an educational tool for millions of Kurds and is regarded as an important site for those seeking a political solution to the unsolved situation for Kurds in Turkey, which is why Turkish authorities make continuously efforts to close it down.
This is the first time that the Belgian police take action against the Kurdistan National Congress (KNK) which is regarded as a distinct political institution. Approximately 300 police have detained prominent Kurdish politicians among them the President of the Kurdish People's Congress (Kongra Gel), Remzi Kartal, the well known Kurdish politician Zubeyir Aydar, Vice President of the KNK, Adem Uzun, and Faruk Doru member of the KNK. Several of the detained individuals have the legal status of refugees granted under the Geneva Convention. “These politicians have been working constructively in the search for a peaceful settlement based on justice and respect for everyone’s rights inside Turkey. For their diplomatic efforts they should be honoured not incarcerated
So far 1500 Kurdish politicians have been arrested by the AKP in Turkey this year. The police rally against Kurdish politicians and journalists in Belgium and other European countries like France and Italy seem to have been encouraged by the AKP operations in Turkey. These actions seem to be the European way of showing to Turkey that they are doing something concrete against terrorism. They are therefore to be regarded more as political operations than judicial.
The EUTCC strongly urge Belgium authorities to immediately release the Kurdish politicians and ROJ-TV journalists and allow them to continue their political and civic work for peace.
Kariane Westrheim, Chair of EUTCC, Norway
Michel Gunter, Secretary General EUTCC, USA
Hans Branscheidt, Board of Directors EUTCC, Germany
